Assam villagers erect check gates to keep out miscreants

Lodi Village (Assam), Aug 7 (ANI): In the wake of the ongoing ethnic clashes, villagers in Assam have erected check gates to keep out miscreants from attacking their villages.

The ongoing clashes between the Jeme Naga and Dimasa tribes have terrorised the residents in Lodi village of North Cachar Hills district, who have decided to undertake self-defense to keep miscreants at bay.

Extremist related incidents and violence have been rocking the NC Hills district of the state for past three months.

The otherwise peaceful villagers are finding hard to live under the prevailing situation and since the erection of the gate, their responsibilities have increased manifold.

"We are facing lot of problems. We used to live in harmony and had never witnessed all this. Now with the building of this gate our troubles are increased, we have to keep a watch day and night," said L Jeme, a villager.

The villagers link the unrest to the handiwork of militants who can be from either Jeme Naga or Dimasa. They are believed to be creating clashes for fulfilling their own vested interests. "There is a third person involved in this. Many people think so. And many communities think that the third person is militants," said Dipali Haphila, another villager.

Regular meetings are held in an effort to broker peace amongst the people.

The village, where the people did not face the threat even from thieves, has been forced to take up measures for self-defense.

So far, hundreds of houses of Jeme Naga and Dimasa tribes have been burnt and around 15,000 people have been displaced in the violence. By Peter Alex Todd (ANI)